The Lotus Blooms Twice
by AlliaxAndromeda
Summary: The Lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice. The tale of two Genins that were labelled as failures proving their worth through hard work.   OC as additional member of Team Guy, no OC x other character pairings. Possible future Neji/Tenten.
1. The Art Of Deception

"Today we're going to review the Transformation Jutsu again. At the end of the lesson, I'll call you up in groups of four, and you are to attempt to transform into something. What you transform into today is up to you." Izumo smiled. "The group with the most creative Transformations get a free meal coupon for Ichiraku Ramen." 

As the classroom chatter resumed; each of the students comparing ideas for the competition at the end of the lesson, Izumo looked down the register on his desk. "We're going to need some space for practicing, so in a short while, we'll be working outside. Before that, I'm going to put you in groups of four."

Tenten turned in her seat. "So, Allia, what do you think you'll try and transform into?"

"The prize goes to the most creative ones, right?" Allia replied. "I'll definitely pick something really cool!" She grinned confidently, and sat back in her seat, thinking of things she could do. "I know! How about a dragon?"

"No way. That'd be way to difficult, even for someone as clever as Neji. Especially since you do have a lot of difficulties with Ninjutsu techniques." Tenten waved the idea aside. "Try something smaller. And cuter. I'm thinking of trying a puppy. Because puppies are adorable."

"Well in that case, I'll try a kitten. Everyone knows cats are better than dogs."

Tenten laughed. "Good thing we don't have anyone in here from the Inuzuka clan to hear you say that."

"But it's true!" said Allia indignantly. "For starters, they don't leave their poop lying around-"

"Eww, that's gross, Allia." Tenten wrinkled her nose in mock disgust.

"…Group number five. Tenten. Allia…" Izumo announced.

"Cool, we're in the same group." Tenten grinned. "I won't lose to you, Allia."

"…Kiku and Rock Lee." Izumo finished.

Tenten groaned slightly. "But he can't do any jutsus. Now we've no chance of winning…"

"Don't say that so loud." Allia said, elbowing her in the side. "He might hear you and that's a little unkind."

Tenten was about to reply with a complaint, but was interrupted.

"If you'd all be so kind as to get into your assigned groups, we'll go outside to practice," called Izumo. "There will be plenty of opportunity to discuss your ideas once you're there, so please remain quiet until then."

The students stood as one, and began moving around into their respective groups. Tenten and Allia were soon joined by Kiku, a small and shy girl with dark brown hair, and Lee followed behind. Wordlessly, the class followed Izumo out of the room and out into the grounds.

When they reached the running track, Izumo stopped.

"I'd like you all to spread out so each group isn't able to cheat from each other."

Tenten lead the group to nearest corner of the track area, and promptly sat down.

"We all know what's at stake here, don't we?" she began, as the others joined her in sitting on the floor. "Not just a free meal at Ichiraku's, but victory." She looked round at each member of the group intently. Allia returned the gaze with her own look of determination, Kiku's eyes quickly fell to staring at the floor, and Lee didn't even try to make eye contact. He simply fiddled with a small pebble on the ground, rolling it around under his fingers.

"The three of us girls," Tenten continued, "We have to prove that we can be just as good as the boys are. Kiku, you're one of the top Ninjutsu students in our class…" Kiku blushed heavily at the compliment. "I'm fairly confident that I'll be okay, but you Allia, you're kind of shaky at this, aren't you? Reckon you can pull it off?"

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try my best." Allia replied. She looked across at Lee, who was still fiddling with the pebble. "What about you, Lee?"

He sighed and looked up. "You all know that no matter how hard I try, I can't do a transformation. Or any jutsus, for that matter."

"We have plenty of time to practice before the end of the lesson." Allia prompted. "Who knows, maybe you'll pull it off this time. You'll never know if you don't try, right?" She stood up, dusting off the backs of her trousers. "You know the saying, don't you? Seven times down, eight times up?"

Lee got to his feet too, and grinned. "What have I got to lose?"

Allia turned to Tenten and Kiku, who remained seated. "If we both mess up, it'll be down to you two to save the team. I'll try my best, and I'm sure Lee will too, but we aren't guaranteed to be successful like you guys are. I'm sorry in advance if I mess up."

Tenten nodded. "I won't hold it against you." She looked back at Kiku. "Right, we need to decide on a theme…"

Allia and Lee walked a short distance from the other two.

"So you're Rock Lee, right? I don't think we've spoken before, have we?" Allia noticed his attention was slightly divided. He was staring at the pair of cat-like ears poking out from her lilac hair.

"If you think those are weird," she said in a bored voice, "Wait until you see my tail."

Lee snapped out of his abstraction, and apologized. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

Allia laughed. "Don't worry about it. I've had far worse, believe me." She put her hands on her hips and shook her head in mock annoyance. "You'd think people would be used to it by now. People like me have been living here for generations. Hey, you know what I think?" she grinned, folding her arms. "They're just jealous, because I'm obviously the most awesomest thing since awesome."

Lee laughed as well. "Is 'awesomest' even a word?"

"It is now." She held out her right hand. "My name is Allia, and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

Lee shook her hand uncertainly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance as well."

"To business!" Allia said. "Is it true? That you really can't do any Ninjutsus or Genjutsus?"

The smile disappeared from Lee's face, and he slumped slightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to be so abrupt or insensitive." Allia added when she noticed his discomfort. "But I guess that makes two of us then."

"Huh?" Lee looked up in disbelief.

"Well, it takes so much effort and energy out of me just to produce a single illusionary clone that I might as well not be able to do so at all. My success rate is a little less than one in five."

'_So I'm not so different after all…' _Lee thought to himself.

"Ah! I've got it!" Allia blurted out. "We'll transform into each other!"

"How?" said Lee, puzzled. "I can't do Ninjutsu, or Genjutsu, and you said you can't either."

"We'll do it like this." Allia slipped a hand into the pocket of her trousers and began rifling around. She pulled out many things in the process; pieces of crumpled up paper, a few sweet wrappers, and a pencil sharpener. A few minutes later, she held up a white round ball in triumph.

"A smoke bomb?" Lee asked sceptically.

"You're not thinking like a ninja." Allia grinned impishly. "We drop this when it's our group's turn, and simply switch places with each other. When we 'Transform' back, we drop a second one, and switch back."

"I do not think the sensei would fall for something like that though."

"You're forgetting the most important thing here. Marks for creativity."

"Should we tell Tenten about this?"

"Yeah, good idea, Lee. Maybe we can get her and Kiku to Transform into each other to make ours look more in place. You know, a group theme."

Allia walked back to Tenten and Kiku's spot, Lee followed close behind. Tenten stood up to greet them, as did Kiku.

"Tenten, have you and Kiku decided what you'll Transform into?" asked Allia.

"We have a couple of ideas, but Kiku said it'd be better to discuss them as a whole group. What about you two?"

Allia held up the two smoke bombs in reply.

"…Smoke bombs?" said Tenten uncertainly. "You're going to use smoke bombs?"

"Yes. We'll pretend to Transform into each other, under the cover of the smoke. It'd be less weird if you and Kiku Transform into each other as well."

"Come on, Allia. Do you honestly think the sensei will fall for that?" Tenten put her hands on her hips and sighed exasperatedly. "What if you get into big trouble for it?"

"Can't be worse than what we'll get if we don't Transform at all." The grin had vanished from Allia's face, and was replaced with a more serious expression. "I'm sure Lee would agree."

Tenten looked from Allia to Lee, and then to Kiku. "What do you think, Kiku?" she asked a few moments later.

"What have we got to lose?" said Kiku with a small smile. "Sensei has a sense of humour, maybe we'll get marks for creativity?"

"See, Lee? I told you so." Allia said confidently. "Kiku agrees with me."


	2. Determination

"Transform!"

Four voices, belonging to the members of the penultimate group shouted in unison. Four large clouds of smoke erupted from each of their positions at the front of the classroom. When the smoke cleared, the students had vanished, and had been replaced with four different puppies.

Izumo made some notes on a clipboard, occasionally looking up and murmuring to himself.

"Very impressive!" he said a few minutes later. "Good consistency and coordination within your group; I'm impressed by your teamwork."

The four students dispelled the technique, causing a second eruption of smoke clouds, and returned to their seats.

"Lastly; Tenten, Kiku, Allia and Lee. Please come to the front."

Tenten got to her feet first, and made her way to the front of the classroom. Allia followed close behind, with Kiku and finally Lee bringing up the rear. They arranged themselves in a row so that Tenten and Kiku stood closest to Izumo, whilst Lee and Allia were positioned nearest the door.

The rest of the students were not expecting much. Most of them watched Tenten and Kiku expectantly; Kiku was known for her prowess in Ninjutsu, and no one was expecting much success from either Lee or Allia.

"When you're ready, you may begin." said Izumo, writing their names onto the score sheet.

Tenten glanced over at Allia, who nodded determinedly in return. All four of them made the hand signs; Dog, Boar, Tiger, and shouted, "Transform!" simultaneously.

When the smoke clouds erupted from Tenten and Kiku's end, obscuring the general vision in the classroom, Allia threw the first smoke bomb at the ground. She nudged Lee, and the two of them swapped places as quietly as possible.

When the smoke cleared, Izumo looked the group up and down, before making notes by each student's name.

"Not a bad idea, Allia, using a smoke bomb to create the illusion of a successful Transformation." Izumo chuckled at the look of complete dismay and disappointment on her face. "It was resourceful, to say the very least. What let you down was the smoke bomb itself; they make a different sound when they go off." His expression turned stern. "Where did you get smoke bombs, anyway? Academy students aren't allowed to use those."

Allia looked down at the ground sheepishly, her face growing scarlet with embarrassment. "One of my older brothers gave me one."

Izumo shook his head in exasperation. "Should've known. All of them were troublemakers when they were students here. I see they haven't changed at all."

He made further notes on his clipboard. "Whilst the smoke bomb idea was indeed imaginative, the prize goes to the most imaginative _Transformation_, and since only two members of your group actually achieved that, I cannot therefore offer you first prize."

Tenten and Kiku dispelled their Transformations, two more large clouds of smoke billowing into the already hazy classroom air. Tenten gave an apologetic smile, which Allia returned. As Tenten and Kiku moved back to their seats, Izumo stopped Allia and Lee.

"I'd like to see the two of you after class." He said quietly.

Allia went cold. _Surely the smoke bomb thing wasn't that bad?_ She thought worriedly.

She turned back to glance at Lee, who was wearing a similarly fearful expression, but she also noticed a slight resigned look in his eyes. As though this wasn't the first time he'd been held back after lessons.

Allia took her seat next to Tenten, trembling slightly. Tenten gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Don't feel so bad; it's not the end of the world, right? All we've really lost is a free meal…"

"I'm so sorry, Tenten. My idea ended up letting the group down." Allia murmured ashamedly as Izumo began announcing the winners. She looked over to where Lee was sat, a few rows ahead and on the other side of the classroom by the window. He wasn't paying much attention to the results of the contest, and was instead staring out of the window.

"Now that that's over with, I'm going to set you some homework." announced Izumo to collective groans. "Just a simple worksheet, nothing too difficult. I expect it in by the end of the week, so you've got plenty of time to complete it. Please collect a sheet on your way out. Dismissed."

"Do you want me to wait outside for you, Allia?" Tenten asked loudly over the noise of the other students as they made their way out of the classroom.

"Nah, it's ok. I'll be fine. Thanks for the offer though." Allia replied, with the most confident grin she could muster.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." Tenten said brightly. She walked out of the classroom, pausing to say her goodbyes to Izumo and to pick up one of the remaining worksheets, and slid the door shut behind her.

Allia packed her things away into her bag and walked tentatively towards the front to stand next to Lee, her pulse thudding in her ears, and barely able to mask her trembling hands. '_Mum and Dad'll be so angry if I've got detention or something' _she thought in dread. Izumo was sorting through various stacks of paper, and did not acknowledge them immediately. After a few minutes of silence, punctuated only by the rustling of paper sheets, he finally looked up at the pair of them. He scrutinized them both before letting out a long sigh.

"Have either of you actually considered selecting a different path?"

For a moment, Allia almost forgot to breathe. _Not _become a ninja? Impossible! Everyone in her family was a ninja. She wasn't about to break that tradition any time soon. She glanced at Lee, who was equally thunderstruck, though Allia again noticed a look in his eyes that said he'd been asked this question many times before.

"Both of you seem to have a lot more…_trouble_ with Ninjutsu than your fellows. And if we're brutally honest, that fact doesn't look likely to change in the near future. Perhaps you would find your time better spent pursuing a different goal-"

"But Sensei," Lee cut in. "Everyone says it is impossible to be a ninja without being able to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. I want to prove them all wrong, and I will not change my mind."

"I suppose I should have realised by now that you can't be swayed, can you, Lee? But you could save yourself so much time and effort if you devoted your energies elsewhere. You should find a different path."

This was too much for Lee. He put his hands over his ears and ran from the room, forgetting to pick up the homework sheet in his distress.

Forgetting her own worries for a moment, Allia looked back at Izumo and said, "Sensei, would you like me to take the worksheet to him afterwards?"

"Yes please, if you wouldn't mind." He turned to face her. "The same goes for you, you know. I know you probably feel like you have a lot to live up to, given that everyone in your family has gone on to become successful ninjas, but you shouldn't feel that you have to as well. You should be doing this because you want to."

"But Sensei, I do want to." Allia looked up to meet his eyes. "This village has been so kind to people like me by taking us in when few other villages would. I want to become the best ninja that I can, so that in the future, I will be able to fight for and defend this village."

Izumo smiled sadly back at her in the face of her determination. "As admirable as that is, you won't be able to achieve that if you can't pass the Graduation test." He looked at his watch. "I've kept you long enough. I'd be most grateful if you would pass that homework on to Lee for me. See you tomorrow morning."

"See you later, Sensei." Allia replied, taking the two remaining sheets of paper from the table closest to the door as she left.


	3. Family

THWACK!

"Don't you plan on taking a break any time soon?"

Lee stopped punching the training post for a moment. "Why would I do that ?"

"I just wondered, that's all. Your stamina is amazing." Allia's gaze returned to the worksheet in front of her, as Lee continued his strikes. "Your determination is…inspiring too."

Lee paused again. "…Inspiring?" he asked. '_People have called me idiotic, stubborn and even hot-headed. But never inspiring…'_

"Yeah. Most people would've given up by now, but you, you keep on going. Even when Sensei suggested giving up, you're sticking to it." Allia began filling in her answer to the first question. "It's certainly renewed my determination. But what are we going to do about the Graduation exam? They test _all_ the Academy level techniques. My brothers said so." She added matter-of-factly, as though her older siblings were the world authority on such matters.

"I'll just have to make up for them with my Taijutsu instead." Lee announced, his brow furrowed in concentration, before resuming his chain of punches on the training post.

They were spending the late afternoon in a small field near the Academy that was open to the public for basic training. Allia was sat on the grass with her back against a large tree, resting the homework sheet on her lunchbox and filling the answers in, whilst Lee relentlessly struck a large wooden column in front of him.

Neither of them spoke much, both of them were focused and engrossed in their respective tasks. While Allia was pondering the answer to the second question, her mind began to wander, and she found herself reflecting on the words of her teacher at the end of class. A small sick feeling of dread crept up on her when she remembered with a jolt that there was only a week left before the Graduation exam, and she still had had no success in any of the techniques she knew would be tested.

"What does it feel like when you try to perform a jutsu?" She asked a little while later.

Lee didn't answer immediately. He paused for a moment to think, and turned round to answer. "It feels like…I'm holding my breath, and trying to push something really heavy. My body burns with the effort, and nothing comes of it." Intense frustration flashed briefly across his features, before he took a new stance and started launching kicks at the post instead.

"For me," mused Allia, finishing the eighth question, "I can feel my own chakra, but it's like…no matter how hard I try, I cannot focus it enough to perform a jutsu, and so to even pull one off poorly, I have to build up so much of the chakra I have that I feel really ill afterwards. My chakra feels…too spread out. If that makes sense."

"I think I understand." Lee replied between kicks.

Allia filled in the last blank space on the worksheet, folded it in half neatly and placed it back in her bag. She stood up and walked over to the neighbouring training post, took a square-on stance, feet shoulder-width apart, and began striking it with basic head-on punches.

"I think I'll have to join you, you know," She said between punches, "My Ninjutsu isn't good enough either, so I'll have to improve my Taijutsu to balance things out."

Allia stopped to readjust her stance. "You know something, I have an idea. Let's have a race. First to two hundred strikes wins."

Lee's face lit up; the fires of competition blazing in his eyes. "Only two hundred? I say two thousand!"

"Aren't you tired from all the strikes you've done already though?" she replied incredulously.

"I will be fine! Punches or kicks?"

"In that case, to make it fairer, I need to aim for at least an extra five hundred strikes. Otherwise, I would have an unfair advantage. Let's start off with punches first."

The two of them stood facing their respective posts square on. They braced themselves in the appropriate stances, taking deep breaths to calm and focus themselves.

"Three…Two…One…GO!"

"One-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-seven, "One-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-eight, "One-thousand-nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine…"

"Two-thousand-four-hundred-and-ninety-eight, Two-thousand-four-hundred-and-ninety-nine, TWO-THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED!"

It had only been a split second ahead, but Allia had won.

Breathing heavily, they both slumped to the floor, exhausted after their match. Lee grinned widely, despite being short of breath.

"That was a good fight! Even if I lost, let us battle again another time."

"Only reason I won," Allia gasped in reply, "Was because you'd already been training for twenty minutes before we started. I had an unfair advantage. Next time, we should make it fairer somehow." She staggered up to feet and walked over to her bag.

"Forgot to mention it earlier, but Sensei asked me to pass this on to you. It's the homework sheet." Allia explained, retrieving the blank worksheet from her bag. As she handed it to him, she added, "It's getting late now. We should probably go home soon."

Lee took the sheet and thanked her, putting it safely into his own bag. "I suppose you're right, but I want to continue training for a little longer."

"Hey, would you like to come over and have dinner at our house?" asked Allia. "We're having a curry tonight, I think. And, more importantly, we can ask my brothers for tips for the Graduation exam next week. I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping you with your Taijutsu training."

"If my Mum is fine with it, then I would be most grateful." Lee replied, bowing.

"Let's ask my parents first, we don't live very far from here." said Allia cheerfully, walking out of the training field, Lee following behind.

"I'm home-"

Allia didn't have time to finish her greeting, as a flurry of paper shuriken came whizzing towards her. She ducked, with the majority of them hitting the door, crumpling slightly, and falling to the floor in a small heap, the others veering off in many directions.

"You're getting better at dodging, aren't you? I didn't hit you with a single one this time."

Lee peered round the doorway, and saw a dark-haired boy of about fourteen years of age grinning from his seat at a table, numerous sheets of paper in front of him.

"Maybe your shot was just shabby today, Takeshi. Did you fold all of these just to throw at me?" She reached down and picked the paper shuriken up off of the floor, placing them on the table in front of him. "Is Mum back yet?"

"Not yet. I think they'll be closing the shop soon though. Why?" Takeshi looked over, and spotted Lee, who was still lingering in the doorway. "Ahhh…I see you've made a new friend." He remarked, smirking.

"Takeshi, this is Lee. Lee, this is my third eldest brother, Takeshi." said Allia, removing her sandals, indicating for Lee to follow. "Do you think Mum'll mind having him over tonight at such short notice?" she whispered to Takeshi while Lee took off his own sandals.

"Mind? She'll be delighted. Only person you've ever brought round is Tenten. She'll be pleased to find you're making more friends and fitting in." Takeshi grinned again, ruffling her hair.

"Please don't do that. You'll mess it up."

"Won't make any difference then, will it?" Takeshi dodged the playful swipe aimed at his face. He gathered up the paper shuriken and put them in a box that he'd been keeping under the chair. As he stacked the remaining sheets into a neat pile, he asked; "Are you both feeling ready for the upcoming Graduation exam? It's next week, isn't it?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact, I was wondering if you could give us some advice for it." Allia replied, pulling a chair out from under the table and gestured for Lee to sit at it. She then sat on the neighbouring chair opposite Takeshi.

"That's why you brought your friend over, right? You're both having troubles?" asked Takeshi pensively. He removed his glasses and began polishing them with the bottom of his t-shirt. "What are you having difficulties with then?"

"Most of the Ninjutsu stuff really." Allia stated bluntly.

"So you can't perform any Ninjutsu either then, Lee?" asked Takeshi in surprise.

Lee shook his head. "I can't do any Genjutsu either."

Takeshi ran a hand through his blue-black hair. "You've really got your work cut out for you, haven't you?"

They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. In walked an utterly exhausted looking young man, dressed in standard Konoha shinobi uniform. He unzipped his flak vest and hung it on the back of a chair, which he promptly slumped in, face flat on the table.

"Welcome back, Hikaru. How was the mission?" greeted Takeshi, stifling a laugh at his older brother's behaviour.

"Delivering supplies to a neighbouring village isn't ordinarily the most taxing of assignments," Hikaru groaned in muffled reply, "But when the supplies turn out to be building blocks, and when the villagers in question ask for help unloading them from the wagon, it makes for back breaking labour."

"Manual work was never your strong point was it?" Takeshi laughed.

"And studying was never yours, Takeshi." Hikaru retorted, raising his head a few inches from the table to grin at his younger sibling's embarrassment. He stopped laughing when he spotted Lee, and heaved himself upright.

"My apologies for my rudeness, I didn't realize we had a guest this evening."

"This is my friend Lee, Hikaru." Allia explained.

"Well, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Lee." Hikaru replied, inclining his head respectfully. Lee returned the gesture, and sat quietly while the two brothers engaged in avid discussion about their latest missions. Having no brothers or sisters of his own, he was fascinated by the warm and lively atmosphere projected by the pair. He felt relaxed and at ease, no longer worrying as much about the Graduation exam. It was, after all, the first time anyone had asked him over for an evening.


	4. Tenten

**Author's Note: **This is a background/flashback chapter; I wanted to illustrate why Tenten and Allia were on good terms. I've always liked the idea of Tenten being quite a welcoming and protective person; the kind who'd look after the new student. Especially after reading Innocent-Rebel's fanfiction "Fractured Lotus" (Which is a fantastic read, by the way).

X

Tenten was a confident girl. She wasn't an overly popular student at the Ninja Academy, nor was she one of the shy loner types. She had a comfortably sized circle of friends, and was respected by her classmates for having above average talents in the various shinobi disciplines. She was however, slightly impatient, especially towards weak-willed and indecisive people. Tenten was also well respected by the teaching staff at the Academy for her ability to welcome newer students and help them find their place. It was this quality that led Izumo to entrust her with the task of looking after the hybrid girl when she first started at the Academy.

He called Tenten aside after class one day at the end of the school term. Izumo waited for the rest of the students to file out at the end of the day, before turning to her, and asking:

"At the start of the next term, we've got a new student joining our class from a different group. Is it all right for me to ask you to look after her until she settles in? She's slightly…_different _to the others."

Tenten smiled, and said, "Of course, Izumo-sensei, I'd be honoured. Who is she?"

"She's living with the Sugiyama family, a hybrid girl named Allia."

"Allia? That's an unusual name…" said Tenten thoughtfully.

"The members of the hybrid clan she was born into all have unusual names, from what I've heard. I think they must have come from a different continent altogether perhaps…"

"Would it be a good idea for me to meet her before the next term begins?" asked Tenten eagerly. Her parents had told her many stories about the hybrid clans and she was eager to meet a member of such a family. Hybrids were rare in the Leaf Village, and she'd never seen one before.

"Yes, I was going to suggest that myself, actually. I asked her previous teacher to keep her back today so that I could introduce you to each other."

X

Allia was feeling relieved. It was the last day of term, and the last day she had to spend in her current class. She waited behind as she'd been instructed when her classmates left the room excitedly, some of them firing a last few taunts and jibes at her as they passed.

Kotetsu smiled apologetically at her from his desk. "I'm sorry you've had to have such a rough time of it here. Hopefully, you'll be able to make a new start in the other class next term."

"Thanks for everything, Kotetsu-sensei." Allia replied. "I'll try my best in the other class."

The door slid open, and Izumo walked in, Tenten following closely behind. She looked round as Izumo began talking in a low voice to Kotetsu, and shot a warm and friendly smile at Allia. Allia couldn't help but return the smile from her seat. Tenten waved her over, and she made her way to the front.

"You must be Allia. My name is Tenten. Nice to meet you" greeted Tenten.

"Nice to meet you too, Tenten." Allia replied, bowing.

X

"Do you have any hobbies?" asked Tenten.

The two girls walked down one of Konoha's many streets. Tenten was chattering away, bombarding Allia with all manner of questions; what food she liked, what food she hated, her favourite colour. Allia answered each of them as they arrived.

"My favourite food is egg-fried rice. I hate fish. My favourite colour is green. I like reading comics, making things, helping out in Mum's shop, and training with my brothers."

Tenten led the way into her personal favourite sweetshop. Once they were inside, she began searching through the shelves.

"I heard hybrids have special powers, they can do things that normal humans can't," she said excitedly as she looked. "Is it true? Do you have any special powers?"

Allia blinked in surprise. "Ummm…Not that I know of," she replied, laughing embarrassedly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Maybe you just haven't found them out yet. Could I have two of these please?" Tenten asked the shopkeeper, pointing at two chocolate bars on the counter. Once she'd paid and received her change, she held one of them out to Allia. Allia's eyes widened with uncertainty.

"Is this for me?"

"Of course it is, silly," laughed Tenten, "I wouldn't buy two for myself now, would I?"

"Don't you want me to pay you back?" asked Allia, taking the proffered bar of chocolate hesitantly.

"No need. Consider it a gift." Tenten smiled again. "That's what friends do, right?"

Allia returned the smile. "Then I'll make sure to return the favour one day. Thank you, Tenten."

They left the shop shortly afterwards. The Academy always finished a few hours early on the last day of term, so they had some time to spare before they'd normally have to be home by. Tenten suggested going to the park to sit and talk for a while. On the way, Allia asked what the teacher and other students were like in Tenten's class.

"Izumo-sensei and Kotetsu-sensei are good friends, so I'm sure that if you liked Kotetsu-sensei, you'll like Izumo-sensei," Tenten explained, "As for the others, we have a lot of different kinds of people in our class. Neji, for example, is a _genius_. He's from the Hyuuga clan, and he's top in everything. He doesn't talk much though…And there's a girl called Kiku who's brilliant at Ninjutsu. Quiet as a mouse though. There's a small group of troublemakers in the class, but they're not too disruptive. Most of the time, they just make people laugh. They do all their work though…"

Tenten reached the park gate first, and Allia followed behind. They walked along a pebbled pathway that ran below a large number of cherry blossom trees. Eventually, the two of them arrived in a field that was available to the public for practicing martial arts and the like, that contained a number of benches around the edges and training posts and dummies in the centre. Tenten had suggested the area earlier ("Because the other fields are full of other people at this time,") and as she'd predicted, it was much quieter. They had no company, save for a young boy training on one of the many wooden posts in the centre of the field.

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened in your class that meant you've had to leave it?" asked Tenten as they sat down on one of the larger benches that had a table built into them. Allia sat opposite Tenten.

"Because of these." Allia raised a hand and pointed at the small cat-like ears that were just visible through her thick and wild lilac hair. The other hand reached behind her and lifted the end of her tail so that Tenten could see it better.

"Pssh. The people in your class are just stupid then. I think those are cool." Allia blushed a little at the compliment.

"So, wait, you don't have ears like mine then?" Tenten continued. Allia lifted the hair on both sides of her face. Sure enough, where ears would've been on any normal human was simply her hairline.

Allia laughed at the look of complete fascination on the other girl's face. Her attention was then diverted by a loud thud that came from the centre of the field. She looked over Tenten's shoulder to see that the boy who'd been training was now flat on his face on the ground. He stood up again, a little unsteadily, before starting to do a series of squats.

"What _is_ he doing?" asked Allia, concerned. "He just fell on his face. Is he ok?"

"Oh, him. That's Rock Lee." Tenten replied, also looking round. "He's probably fine."

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he's in my class."

"Is he normally like this…?" enquired Allia in disbelief, as she watched him finish the squats, pick up a skipping rope and started hopping from one foot to another with it.

"Yeah. He can't do _any_ Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, so he tries to make up for it with Taijutsu alone. Trouble is, he's not very good at that _either_." Tenten explained.

"And this is his idea of physical training? I've never seen anything like it…" Allia trailed off, a note of incredulity in her voice. She watched Lee put the skipping rope down, and began bobbing up and down as he started a series of push-ups. '_Does he ever stop for a break?' _thought Allia.

"So what are your specialities, then?" Tenten asked.

"Specialities? You mean like Ninjutsu or Genjutsu and things like that?" When Tenten nodded in conformation, Allia closed her eyes thoughtfully for a few seconds, before replying, "I'm only really any good at Taijutsu. My brothers often train with me."

"So you're not so good at Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, then? I'm sure you'll get better with practice!" said Tenten encouragingly.

"No, you don't understand. I can _barely _do any of either kind of techniques. My best attempts have pitiful results. That's one of the other reasons I had so many issues in the other class," said Allia somewhat resentfully, "People thought it was hilarious."

"Even so, I'm sure you'll manage it some day." Tenten stated again confidently. "Practice makes perfect, after all."

"Maybe…" Allia trailed off, unconvinced. "…Do people pick on him? You know, because of the Ninjutsu and Genjutsu thing?" she asked a few minutes later

"Are you worried you'll have the same problems as you did in the other class? Don't worry about it!" Tenten laughed confidently.

"That's not what I-" Allia began, but Tenten interrupted.

"Trust me. As long as you stick with me, you won't have any problems at all."


	5. The Day Before Graduation

"Clone Jutsu!"

It was early morning of the second-last day before the Graduation exam. Lee stood alone in the centre of the running track, practicing jutsu after jutsu in preparation. Infuriated by his failure, he widened his stance a little and tried a different technique. He made the signs, and shouted; "Transformation Jutsu!"

Still nothing happened.

A tear slid down his cheek. _Why? Why is it not working? I do not understand what it is that I am doing wrong!_

"Hey, kid."

Lee looked round. Behind him stood a man he'd never seen before. He recognised that the stranger must have been a Chuunin at least; because he wore the standard flak vest that Lee had seen on his teachers, and various other ninjas in passing, but Lee knew that he'd never seen any other ninjas in such a bizarre outfit. A skin-tight green jumpsuit, accompanied by orange legwarmers made for an odd combination.

The newcomer grinned widely, the morning sun glinting off of his shiny black hair. "The glory of youth is in its unbridled passion. You just keep chipping away at it son; you'll make a splendid shinobi some day!" He struck a confident thumbs-up pose.

Lee turned round to face the man directly. _Who is he? He is so confident!_

"Grab hold of life by both horns! That's what youth is for. Goodbye!" The man turned to leave, waving as he left, and laughing self-assuredly. As he walked away, Lee couldn't help but smile, in spite of his earlier frustration.

_That's the first time any adult has ever said anything like that to me…_

His confidence restored in full, Lee returned to the task at hand.

X

Allia rolled over in bed. She opened a bleary eye to peer across at her alarm clock.

7:58 AM.

'_One day left to go,' _She thought groggily. _'I don't have any time to waste.' _She rolled out of bed onto the floor, the resulting impact jolting her awake. Lying there for a few minutes, she listened to the sounds of her family on the floor below. _'I'm the last one up, I must've been really tired.' _she thought.

Allia heaved herself up, changed out of her pyjamas, pulled on her clothes hurriedly, made her bed and ran downstairs. Her three brothers were already eating breakfast, and her Mum, Akemi, was sweeping the floor in the next room.

"Are you going out to train again today?" asked Hikaru, swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Yes. The exam is tomorrow, and I want to make sure I've got everything."

"Don't overdo it. The last thing you want is to be stiff and sore from practice when you go to do the real thing."

Allia eyed the empty seat next to Hikaru. "Is Mitsuo still away on that mission?"

"Yes, he said he might be gone for a maximum of three weeks." Hikaru replied. "But he should be back soon."

"I'm all finished," Takeshi chimed in. "I can spar with you if you like for a while after breakfast?"

"Thanks a million, Takeshi" said Allia, a smile on her face as she took a seat at the table and began eating.

"Are you comfortable with your Theory work?" asked Hikaru. "Remember, the various jutsus and techniques are only half of the equation. They'll give you all sorts of scenarios that'll to test your knowledge, they may ask questions on the history of the Leaf Village, and they might even test your understanding of the Shinobi Laws…" He laughed when he saw the blank and horrified look on her face. "Seriously though," Hikaru continued, taking a sip of his drink, "The odds are against you enough as it is, given your difficulties with Ninjutsu. You need to excel in all the other disciplines if you want any chance of Graduating."

"Come on Hikaru, don't start daunting her this close to the exam itself," said Takeshi reproachfully. "We'll just make sure to go over that stuff _while_ we're sparring." He got up from his seat and tucked it under the table. As he moved over to the door to slip on his shoes, he added, "If you're not busy, why don't you help out as well?"

"Much as I'd like to, I've been sent another assignment. I should be finished by noon though." Hikaru looked meaningfully at Allia, who was still munching on her breakfast. "We can review the facts in the evening though, so don't get back too late."

Allia nodded fervently, mouth too full of food for a spoken reply.

X

"…And the Fourth Hokage is revered as the one who saved the village from the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon eleven years ago." Allia finished breathlessly.

"Good. Now for some tactics." Takeshi looked at his watch, before consulting his personal notebook. "Let's see…"

He flipped through the pages for a few minutes, then came to rest about a third of the way in.

"You're in a four man squad. You've been issued a request to escort and protect an individual, and then on the way to the destination, you're ambushed. What's the most effective position for the squad to assume, given that no-one knows where an attack is most likely to come from?"

"The Manji formation?" Allia wheezed. When Takeshi nodded to confirm the answer, she stood up and added, "I don't need to do any more push-ups, do I?"

"No, I think we should go back soon, take a break, and get Hikaru to take over later." Takeshi replied distractedly. "I've got one last exercise for you to try though. A stealth exercise."

"How are you going to test me for that?"

"I'll head home, and then about ten minutes after I leave, I want you to catch up to me and follow me back. Without me noticing you're there."

"Sounds fun…"

Allia watched Takeshi walk out of the training field, and stood waiting, checking her own watch every so often. When five minutes had passed, she took to wandering aimlessly around the wooden training posts, striking them occasionally to pass the time. Her stomach gurgled, and her mind drifted to contemplating what she might be eating for lunch. She had zoned out so completely that she was wholly oblivious to Lee walking into the training field to practice on the posts as well.

She came crashing back to reality when she accidentally walked headlong into one of the posts. Only when she heard a barely audible snigger at her accident did she then realise that she had company.

"Good afternoon, Lee," Allia greeted, bowing, "I see you've had a haircut." she added, eyeing Lee's hair, which was now a little shorter than her own.

"Good afternoon to you too," Lee replied, bowing as well. "Mum wanted me to look smart for the Graduation tomorrow. She said that it'd be less likely to get in the way if it was shorter." He rubbed the back of his hair absentmindedly, as though he still wasn't used to the absence of the long plait he used to sport.

"Worried about the exam?" asked Allia. "Takeshi was just helping me with Taijutsu training, and Hikaru said he'd help me later today with the Theory. Would you like to join us?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I would like to focus on my Taijutsu from now on." Lee replied. "I am fairly confident with all of the Theory, but I know that my Taijutsu needs a lot of work."

"Fair enough. You'll have to excuse me, then. I've been set a stealth challenge by Takeshi, and," Allia checked her watch again, "I'm sort of late for the start time." She sprinted out of the field, and waving as she left, she called out; "See you tomorrow morning! Good luck with your training tonight!"

X

"I think you ought to call it a day now, don't you?" said Masako as she walked into the living room. Hikaru and Allia both looked up from the piles of notes scattered across the floor.

"But Mum, the exam is tomorrow, and I want to be fully prepared." Allia protested.

"Didn't they teach you the importance of rest as well at the Academy? You're more likely to be alert if you've slept well." Masako's point was reinforced by Allia's poorly stifled yawn. "You've worked hard, especially today. I'm sure it'll pay off."

Acknowledging defeat, Allia began tidying away her notes, while Hikaru did the same. After she'd stacked them all into a neat pile, she carefully placed them back into her bag and stood up. She made to leave the room, wishing her brothers good night, as she did so. Masako stopped her on the way, handing her a package wrapped in brown paper.

"I made you a new outfit to wear to your Graduation exam tomorrow. Your brothers said you might want something a little more functional for it." Masako explained, glancing at the long sleeved shirt that Allia was wearing.

"Wow, thank you very much!" said Allia gratefully. "Goodnight, Mum!"

Masako stood aside to allow Allia to run upstairs to her room. She returned to the living room, where Hikaru was returning his own notes to the books he kept them in, and sat down at the table, picking up a cup of tea she'd made for herself earlier.

"What do you reckon her chances are?" she asked between sips.

Hikaru let out a deep sigh, and didn't answer immediately. "If it wasn't for the fact that so many different Ninjutsus will be tested," he began, "She'd be fine. In other words, not so good."


	6. Izumo's Decision

"Well, it wasn't easy, to say the least."

"You must have done a good job though, Izumo," said Kurenai encouragingly. "Only two students unable to pass."

The Chuunin rank teachers at the Academy were seated in a large room on the uppermost floor of the Academy building. They had just finished conducting the graduation exams for the second class, and were discussing the results with the Jonin future squad leaders of their students.

At Kurenai's comment, the attention of one particular Jonin, Might Guy, was piqued.

"Two students won't pass? Why's that?"

Izumo looked up. "Two students in my class have no aptitude for Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." He sighed. "Well, more specifically, one of them has no aptitude whatsoever, and the other has _sometimes_ succeeded in some of the more basic techniques, but her attempts are mediocre at best. She's above average at Taijutsu though, but that's not enough to graduate with. Same goes for the other student. I can't graduate either of them if they can't perform any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, no matter how good their Taijutsu is."

Guy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Would one of those students happen to be that Rock Lee kid I've heard so much about?"

"Yeah, that's the one. The other's that adopted girl from that small village that was attacked several years back. You know, one of those hybrid children."

General chat resumed between the other Chuunin and Jonin. Guy was only half-paying attention, and caught a just a few fragments of their conversations.

"-The Hyuuga boy passed with full marks?"

"Why are you so surprised? That kid comes from a family of geniuses, after all..."

"-I think there's a budding weapons specialist in your class. That girl Tenten has the best aim I've seen in an Academy student for years…"

"-I wonder why there's so few hybrid people left in the village…? There used to be so many hybrid clans here, and now we've so few I could count them with my hands!"

"Why not pass those two, though…?"

The discussions quickly died down, as people stopped talking in order to hear Guy's question.

"It's the rules, Guy. You know that. Each candidate has to demonstrate that they can successfully perform a variety of basic Ninjutsu and Genjutsu techniques. Neither of those students were able to do that during the Graduation exam. Therefore, I can't pass them." Izumo replied, shrugging.

"If they haven't been able to perform any jutsus at all this academic year, is there any point keeping them on the program?" asked Kurenai. "Wouldn't their places be better used if given to more capable candidates in the following year?"

"I wouldn't write them off so quickly, Kurenai." Guy remarked, smiling slightly. "I've watched that Lee kid doing his training. If you ask me, he has the youthful passion and drive that can enable him to succeed." He gave his trademark thumbs up and broad smile. "Look at me, for example. A most excellent, strong and skilful Jonin, and I use Taijutsu almost exclusively. And you can't say that that's simply because of a natural talent for it." Guy picked up the score sheets and flipped through them until he reached Lee's results page. "As a matter of fact," he added as he read through the grades, "My Graduation results weren't that much better than these."

"That's true, I suppose." admitted Izumo.

"But we can't make special allowances." Kurenai interrupted. "What about other candidates who've failed in the past? We can't pass those two simply because existing Jonins passed with similar grades. Times have changed, Guy. We don't need to pass every single student, regardless of ability, simply because there aren't enough of them like we did twelve years ago."

"If I might make a suggestion?" Kakashi walked over from the other end of the room. He knew Guy well, and he didn't want a heated debate starting. He could already see Guy seething at Kurenai's last remark, though he was sure she had said it without ill intention.

"Why not make an allowance? Just this once." Kakashi continued. "If their abilities are sufficient in the other disciplines, then surely, they could be accepted. There's always the test the squad leader conducts shortly after Graduation, so if they truly are unsuitable as ninja, they can be sent back to the Academy for further training."

Kurenai didn't look convinced.

"There's just one problem with that though." Izumo said, a few moments later. He held up the class register. "The graduating students are ordinarily split into teams of three, to resemble the standard four man squads that are constructed for most missions. If I graduate those two, one of them won't have a squad, based on student numbers."

"In all honesty, that is not an issue." Kakashi replied, shrugging. "This is your first class with a hybrid student, isn't it?"

Izumo nodded in response.

"There's a special rule in place for those students. You're aware that they aren't allowed outside of the village alone until they reach the age of sixteen, nor can they leave the village accompanied until they are at least thirteen, right? The Third Hokage issued a rule a short time after the hybrid evacuees arrived. It states that any who became students at the Academy could become honorary members of existing teams, but only for missions that take place within the village." Kakashi explained.

"Why? I thought the principle behind the 'three Genin, one Jonin' rule was to establish early on the efficiency of basic four man squads? Why compromise that?" Kurenai enquired.

"Most missions within the village rarely require the stealth and mobility of a four man unit. Secondly, we aren't able to put most hybrid students into their own squads because the age gaps between them varied too wildly. Many graduated from the Academy with a three-year minimum age gap." Kakashi replied. "Thirdly, we don't have any Jonin ranked hybrids here who would be able to teach them how to use the skills they're born with. Lord Hokage must have decided the best way would be to assign them to the squad that would best cater to their individual skills."

"So if there was a hybrid student who excelled at Genjutsu, they'd be assigned to my three-man cell?" Kurenai asked. "I suppose that makes sense in a way, but what happens to them when they are able to participate in the Chuunin exams? The rules for them are far more rigid than the Graduation criteria."

"I imagine at that point, they probably would form their own squads with other hybrid ninja, but as far as I know, no hybrids have ever taken part in the Chuunin exams. Most hybrid children who came here as evacuees were reunited with their families just after they'd graduated, so the rule the Third had issued has never actually been put into effect fully." Kakashi looked back at the Izumo. "So, what are you going to do? Will you pass them?"

"I don't know. Won't Lord Hokage be angry at such a disregard for the rules?"

"If that happens," Guy interrupted. "I will take full responsibility. Graduate the two of them, and assign them to my squad."

"Are you sure about this, Guy?" Izumo asked uncertainly.

"Absolutely!" Guy flashed his wide smile once again. "Since both of them can only work with Taijutsu, it makes sense for me to teach them, since I am a Taijutsu specialist. You can assure Lord Hokage that I will make _every_ member of my squad into excellent shinobi!"

He turned to leave. "If you'll excuse me. I look forward to meeting my new students tomorrow. Goodbye!"

After Guy had left the room, Izumo let out a sigh of mild exasperation.

"I suppose it's a good thing I decided not to tell each candidate whether or not I'd pass them right after they'd finished. It'd be awkward, wouldn't it? Telling the two of them; 'You've failed,' and then finding them and saying; 'Changed my mind, you've passed' would mess with their heads."

"You were going to announce it after the lunch break, weren't you?" said Kurenai. "At least now you don't have to deal with any disappointed candidates?"

"Problem is, I don't know if we have enough headbands to go around." Izumo rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I…didn't anticipate I'd pass either of them, so I didn't bother ordering the extra two…"

"There's a surplus from last year's class, but they aren't the standard blue headbands." Iruka walked over from the back of the room, carrying a cardboard box. He set it down on the table, and withdrew two red Leaf headbands.

Izumo let out a low whistle and smiled. "I haven't seen headbands like that in a long while. That's irony for you. Guy's headband is the same colour."


	7. Graduation

"Only twenty minutes left, then we find out."

"Don't say that so negatively, Tenten. There's no way you could fail!"

Tenten and Allia sat quietly on a bench, each chewing thoughtfully on the contents of their respective bento lunch boxes. Forty minutes into the lunch hour, the two awaited the announcement of the Graduation results.

"You'll get to meet your Jonin leader later, won't you?" Allia asked. She looked down at her lunchbox sadly, and put down her chopsticks. "It'll be weird without you around. Too quiet."

"I'm sure you'll have done fine too, Allia." Tenten replied through a mouthful of rice "Have some faith in yourself."

"I can't have passed. Like Lee, none of my jutsus succeeded when I was being tested."

Tenten swallowed her food. "Speaking of Lee, I didn't see him come out for lunch. He was the last one to be tested, wasn't he? We would've seen him…"

"I saw him leave the classroom, and he didn't look good. Should we look for him? He'll be in trouble if he skips class this afternoon."

"We? Probably better if _you_ look for him. It'd probably be easier for him since you're both…you know…" Tenten trailed off awkwardly.

"It's fine. I don't mind. I know what you're about to say, and it's true, so you don't need to feel bad saying it." Allia replied. "But I understand what you mean. I think I know where he might be, as a matter of fact…"

She slotted her chopsticks back into their holder in her bento box and closed the lid. "I'll go and take a look, and if he's not there, I'll come back," said Allia as she put the bento box into her bag, "I'll try and get back before the end of lunch break though."

X

Allia's guess turned out to be right. Sure enough, Lee was sat on a bench at the far end of the running track, but unexpectedly, their teacher was there also. She was mildly surprised to see that Lee did not look as dejected as she thought he would be. Izumo looked up when he saw Allia approaching.

"What a surprise, Allia. I was just going to look for you myself. I need to have a word with you both before the groups are announced." He stood up, and, indicating the place he'd been sat moments before, he said, "Please have a seat for a moment."

She sat down compliantly, feeling slightly bewildered.

"As you both know, the Graduation exam results will be announced in a little over fifteen minutes from now," Izumo began, "To put it bluntly, neither of you would've passed under normal circumstances. This time around, a particular Jonin requested that we make an exception for both of you; to pass you two on your Taijutsu merit alone…as a means of testing the reliability of the exam itself."

He paused, waiting for a reaction. When he received none, he continued.

"You may or may not be aware that the Graduation exam is only a preliminary test to determine which candidates have the potential to become ninjas. The Jonin squad leaders also perform their own test, known as the Genin Certification Exam, to decide whether their students can remain at Genin rank, or be sent back to the Academy." Izumo decided inwardly that it wouldn't be wise to mention that Jonins could also have students dropped from the program if they failed. "It was agreed that you both will be allowed to progress to that test, and if you pass it, you can both stay as Genin, and be eligible for missions with your squad."

When he still didn't receive a reaction, he turned to leave, before adding "It's probably best if you don't mention this to anyone yet. I did promise that I wouldn't tell _anyone_ whether they'd passed or failed before the start of afternoon lessons. I expect you both on time, alright?"

"…We did hear that right, didn't we, Lee?" Allia asked shakily after Izumo had left. "He did just tell us that we passed…right?"

"I think…he did."

X

The classroom was deadly quiet. Each student was sat perfectly still, their eyes trained on the table at the front bearing row upon row of gleaming Leaf headbands, each individually folded into a neat rectangle. The door slid open, and Izumo walked in, register in hand.

"I'll be announcing the Genin squads now, so please remain quiet. When I call your name, please make your way to the front, where I will issue you your Leaf headband. Once you have received it, please return to your seat, and wait until your Jonin instructor arrives." He opened the register, and found his page.

"Squad one…"

Tenten looked sideways at Allia, with sympathy in her eyes, but was surprised to see that the look of defeat that had been there less than half an hour ago had been replaced with a far happier expression.

"Allia…? Something good happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just remembered what we're having for dinner tonight." Allia whispered gleefully.

"Must be pretty good…" Tenten trailed off suspiciously. She observed the orderly queue of students at the front with adrenaline surging through her veins, listening to the names called out, but not really hearing them. In the anxious silence of the classroom, she was surprised that no one could hear the thudding of her pulse, given how loud it seemed in her own ears.

"Squad Ten. Neji Hyuuga…Tenten…"

Tenten scrambled to her feet, shaking in relief. _I passed!_ She thought in giddy delight. As she joined the queue, she did a double take when she heard the names of her other squad members.

"Rock Lee, and Allia Sugiyama."

_So that's what you were so happy about! _Tenten mouthed in mock outrage, as Allia joined the queue behind her.

"Excuse me, Sensei?" A hand waved in the air.

"You have a question, Megumi?" Izumo replied, looking up from the register.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I thought we were supposed to be in groups of three, with the squad leader as the fourth member."

"Normally, you'd be right, but we don't have any Jonin rank hybrids to teach hybrid Genins. The rules are that we put any hybrids students under the command of the Jonin best suited to teach them. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, Sensei."

Allia reached the front, and Izumo passed her a red Leaf headband. As she returned to her seat, Lee too was given a headband in the same colour. Everyone else had received a headband in either navy blue or black.

X

"Now that those formalities are out of the way, we can move on to the next step. Your Jonin squad leaders. Currently, they're waiting on the top floor of the Academy in the staff-room; so, if you'll excuse me, I'll tell them we're ready. Please stay quiet while you wait; some of them may arrive before I return, and you want to give them your best impressions, don't you?" Izumo slid the door open and walked out, closing it behind him.

The students listened to the sound of his footsteps echoing away in the outside corridor. But before they could no longer be heard, a second set of footsteps, much faster and heavier than Izumo's came thundering towards them. There was a dull thump, and a hastily shouted apology, with Izumo shouting "Would you please watch where you're going, Guy?", before the door was slid open again so violently that the walls shuddered.

A bright green and orange blur burst into the room, before skidding to a halt right in front of Izumo's desk.

"Good afternoon everybody! Life treatin' ya good!"

Every student sat in stunned silence. The man before them was clearly one of the Jonin squad leaders, but no one had anticipated such an abrupt and informal entrance by an equally eccentric looking individual. Guy stood in blissful ignorance of the disbelieving stares that came from the class before him.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he began, flashing a wide smile to the class, accompanied by a confident thumbs-up. "I'm Might Guy, and I'm here to escort the members of…" He flourished a slip of paper and consulted it dramatically, "…Squad Ten, to their futures as splendid shinobi!"

Allia looked across the room at Neji, now her teammate. He was known throughout the year group for being a controlled individual whose emotions could be determined only through subtle changes in his facial expressions (Allia, and many others, suspected that this was due to his upbringing in a clan with high social status). She could see that he was not impressed by their flamboyant squad leader, but as always, Neji contained his displeasure well. Tenten, however, didn't look so much displeased as disbelieving, like the majority of the other students.

"Well, what are you waiting for? The Springtime of Youth doesn't wait for those who hesitate!"

Neji stood up wordlessly, eyes closed in resignation. Tenten and Allia followed suit, although slightly more uncertainly, and Lee got to his feet too. As they filed out from their seats, Tenten was sure that she heard a well-stifled giggle from more than one of her classmates.


End file.
